Diana put on a good show that day, but in fact had sunk into postnatal depression that she later called her “dark ages.”
The Queen, Prince Philip, and the Queen Mother with Charles as Diana holds Prince William after his christening at Buckingham Palace, August 4, 1982. Kent Gavin, Royal Photographer
“I knew before we came that we have exported many of our traditions to the United States,” the Queen deadpanned, “but I had not realized before that weather was one of them.”
Ronald Reagan reacting as Elizabeth II commented on the six days of torrential downpours during her visit with Prince Philip to California, March 3, 1983. Diana Walker/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Fergie regularly rode with the Queen and “felt favored and blessed … I was robust and jolly and not too highly strung.”
Prince Andrew and his bride, the former Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson—the Duke and Duchess of York—riding in a landau to Buckingham Palace after their wedding, July 23, 1986. Tim Graham/Getty Images
“She felt very much at home in Kentucky. I saw an atmosphere of informality and gaiety that I never saw in England.”
Elizabeth II on her fourth private holiday touring the stud farms in Lexington, Kentucky, with her hosts, Will Farish (left) and his wife Sarah (far right), as well as the Queen’s racing manager, Henry Porchester, the 7th Earl of Carnarvon (second from right), May 1991. David Perry/Lexington Herald-Leader
Mandela and President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia were the only world leaders to call the Queen “Elizabeth” without causing offense.
The Queen and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa riding in a carriage to Buckingham Palace at the beginning of his state visit, July 9, 1996. Tim Graham/Getty Images
“It had not just been for work. It had been their floating home.”
Elizabeth II wiping away a tear as she, Prince Philip, and Prince Charles watch the decommissioning ceremony for the royal yacht Britannia in Portsmouth after forty-three years of service, December 11, 1997. Tim Graham/Getty Images
“Sophie first of all respects her as the Queen, then as a mother-in-law, but she also understands that she is a human being and treats her that way.”
Prince Edward and his wife Sophie Rhys-Jones—the Earl and Countess of Wessex—in the carriage procession after their wedding in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, June 19, 1999. Tim Graham/Getty Images
“Lucian had a whale of a time with the Queen. They talked about racing and horses.”
Elizabeth II having her portrait painted by Lucian Freud in the Friary Court Studio at St. James’s Palace, 2001. David Dawson, courtesy of Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert
“The happy couple are now in the winners’ enclosure,” the Queen declared.
Prince Charles after his marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, with the Queen outside St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, April 9, 2005. Bob Collier/Press Association Images
“She gave me a look only a mother could give a child.”
President George W. Bush winking at Queen Elizabeth II during a welcoming ceremony on the White House lawn, May 7, 2007, after he mistakenly recalled her visit to the United States in 1776 rather than 1976. Anwar Hussein/EMPICS/Press Association Images
At the heart of the celebration was the infectious joy of a young man and woman who both loved and understood each other.
The wedding of Prince William and his bride, Catherine Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at Westminster Abbey, April 29, 2011. Ian Jones Photography
The Queen signaled her approval with an almost imperceptible nod.
The bride and groom bowing and curtsying to Queen Elizabeth II following their marriage service. Kirsty Wigglesworth/Press Association Images
“Does that mean that you will have to be the next Queen?” “Yes, someday,” Elizabeth replied. “Poor you,” said Margaret.
Newly crowned King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the King’s mother, Queen Mary (center); Princess Elizabeth, the heiress presumptive (left); and her sister, Princess Margaret (right), May 12, 1937. Fox Photos/Getty Images
She learned to drive a three-ton truck in heavy London traffic, change wheels and spark plugs, understand the workings of ignition systems, bleed brakes, and strip down engines.
The heiress presumptive as Second Subaltern Elizabeth Alexander Mary Windsor during her mechanical transport training for the Auxiliary Territorial Service, 1945. Photograph by the Imperial War Museum, Camera Press London
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.”
Princess Elizabeth giving her twenty-first birthday speech in Cape Town, South Africa, April 21, 1947. Associated Press
“I pray that God will help me to discharge worthily this heavy task that has been lain upon me so early in my life.”
Queen Elizabeth II (left), nine days after her accession to the throne, with her grandmother, Queen Mary (center), and her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, at the funeral of King George VI at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, February 15, 1952. Ron Case/Getty Images
Princess Margaret had a slightly glazed look and during the Queen’s investiture “never once did she lower her gaze from her sister’s calm face.”
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (left) with Prince Charles and Princess Margaret in the royal box at Westminster Abbey during the coronation ceremony, June 2, 1953. Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
Townsend was struck by Margaret’s “astonishing power of expression” that “could change in an instant from saintly, almost melancholic, composure, to hilarious uncontrollable joy.”
Margaret (left) and Elizabeth (center) with Group Captain Peter Townsend in the royal box at Ascot on June 13, 1951, four years before Margaret and Townsend declared their intention to marry. Keystone/Getty Images
The Queen took a particular interest in frozen chicken pot pies, while Philip nibbled on sample crackers with cheese and exclaimed, “Good for mice!”
Elizabeth II making an unannounced visit to a supermarket in West Hyattsville, Maryland, after watching the University of Maryland-University of North Carolina football game, October 19, 1957. Associated Press
Once while staying with some good friends, the Queen said, “I must go do my boxes. If I missed one once, I would never get it straight again.”
The Queen at her desk in Buckingham Palace reviewing confidential documents in her red leather dispatch boxes, January 25, 1959. ©TopFoto/The Image Works
When Margaret fell in love with Tony, it came as a relief to the Queen, who wanted above all for her sister to be happy.
Princess Margaret and her husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones (later 1st Earl of Snowdon), paying homage to Queen Elizabeth II with a bow and curtsy after their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey, May 6, 1960. ©Bettmann/CORBIS
Jackie had complained about the pressures of being on tour in Canada, causing the Queen to throw her a conspiratorial glance and reply cryptically, “One gets crafty after a while and learns how to save oneself.”
The royal couple entertaining President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, at a Buckingham Palace banquet, June 15, 1961. Popperfoto/Getty Images
The seventy-five-year-old duchess was heavily sedated, and the Queen “showed a motherly and nanny-like tenderness and kept putting her hand on the duchess’s arm and glove.”
The Queen with the Duchess of Windsor after the funeral of the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, June 5, 1972. Reg Burkett/Getty Images
As military musicians play their tunes, the Queen and her family whirl through intricate reels and veletas with gamekeepers, ghillies, footmen, and maids—a montage of sights and sounds from an earlier century.
Elizabeth II and Philip dancing at the annual Ghillies’ Ball at Balmoral, 1972. Lichfield/Getty Images
The swarm of racegoers shouted “Vive la Reine,” and when the Queen went to s
ee Highclere, she was nearly mobbed by the crowds, protected only by Porchester, Oswald, and some gendarmes.
The Queen in prayerful pose as her racing manager, Henry Porchester (left), and her stud manager, Sir Michael Oswald (right), cheer her filly Highclere across the finish line to win the Prix de Diane at Chantilly, June 1974. Private collection of Sir Michael Oswald
He would regale her with stories, such as the time at a garden party when he found a sticky bun containing an entire set of dentures.
Patrick Plunket, 7th Baron Plunket, a close adviser and friend of Elizabeth II since childhood, the impresario of her social life from the beginning of her reign until his death at age fifty-one in 1975. Private collection of Shaun Plunket
Wilson relied on the Queen’s confidentiality. When he was worried about fellow cabinet ministers undercutting him, she gave him a shoulder to weep on.
The Queen with Harold Wilson at Balmoral in September 1975 after he confided to her that he planned to step down as prime minister on his 60th birthday the following March. Private collection of Lady Wilson
Elizabeth II stepped out of the car, her eyes reddened from crying. “Ma’am, would you like to go upstairs?” “Yes, I think I would,” replied the Queen.
The royal family in Westminster Abbey during the funeral service of Louis Mountbatten, the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. From left: Princess Anne, the Queen Mother, Captain Mark Phillips, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Philip, and Prince Edward, September 5, 1979. Associated Press/TopFoto/The Image Works
Her life in the Highlands offers the Queen a taste of normality, and a sense of freedom.
Elizabeth II laughing at the Braemar Games near Balmoral Castle as the Queen Mother, Diana, and Charles join in, September 1982. ©Mirrorpix
“Come show me this lions’ cage of yours,” said Elizabeth II. “Do I need a whip and a chair?”
The Queen in the indoor riding school at Windsor Castle with Monty Roberts, the “horse whisperer” from California, before he demonstrated his technique for “starting” horses, April 10, 1989. Photograph by Pat Roberts
“It’s the American way,” Frazier said afterward. “I couldn’t stop myself.”
The Queen being hugged by sixty-seven-year-old Alice Frazier during a visit to Frazier’s home in Washington, D.C., May 15, 1991. Associated Press
Prince William “has no desire to climb the ladder of kingship before his time.”
Prince Charles and his sons, William and Harry, second and third in line to the throne, after Harry’s graduation from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where William was also training, April 12, 2006. Ian Jones Photography
She had first glimpsed the future prime minister when he appeared at age eight with her son, Prince Edward, in a school production of Toad of Toad Hall.
The eighty-four-year-old Queen greeting forty-three-year-old David Cameron, her twelfth prime minister, as he arrives at Buckingham Palace to “kiss hands,” May 11, 2010. Ian Jones Photography
“To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deepest sympathy.”
Queen Elizabeth II after laying a wreath in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin on May 17, 2011, during her four-day state visit to Ireland, the first since her grandfather, King George V, toured Dublin a century earlier. Arthur Edwards/AFP/Getty Images
David Cameron called William and Catherine “the team of the future.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Derby Day, Epsom Racecourse, June 4, 2011. Ian Jones Photography
“Her reputation now is as high as at any time since the golden early years when everyone was intensely loyal to the new Queen, and Churchill was flat on his back with admiration.”
The royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the Trooping the Colour ceremony officially marking the Queen’s eighty-fifth birthday, June 11, 2011. Ian Jones Photography
For Stephen
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In the spring of 2008, Gina Centrello, president and publisher of Random House, suggested that I write a book about Queen Elizabeth II, to be published in conjunction with her Diamond Jubilee marking sixty years on the throne. I instantly said yes.
Elizabeth II is at once the most public and most private woman in the world, and my challenge was to show her private side while explaining how she has handled her public role—to portray her in the round, in many different settings, surrounded by a great cast of characters. As an American, I thought I could bring a fresh perspective, enhanced by more than a quarter century of frequent visits to Britain, which have led to numerous friendships and family ties as well.
This is not an authorized account of her reign; the royal family will not choose an official biographer until after she dies. But the staff at Buckingham Palace gave me invaluable assistance. They opened doors, offered guidance and information, and arranged for me to watch the Queen and Prince Philip in action—on overseas and domestic tours as well as at key events on the yearly royal calendar, including an investiture, a state visit, a Buckingham Palace garden party, and the Maundy Service. I also met the Queen at a garden party at the British ambassador’s residence in Washington and at two private parties at St. James’s Palace.
The Queen has a firm policy against granting interviews, but I was gratified that people who have known her from many angles—family, close friends, senior advisers, religious leaders, politicians, diplomats, world leaders, generals, artists, horse trainers, dog handlers, and estate managers among them—were willing to share their insights and knowledge. I also visited all the Queen’s homes in England and Scotland as well as the royal yacht Britannia, took a private tour of the Royal Stud at Sandringham, and spent the night at the Queen Mother’s Castle of Mey.
To conduct my research I spent six months in the United Kingdom, and I was blessed by the hospitality of my dear friends Joan and Bernie Carl, whose apartment on the top floor of their London home became the “writer’s roost” I had first enjoyed while researching my book on Diana, Princess of Wales. During my long stays, Pauline Taplin and Tony Stephens looked after me with care and thoughtfulness. For Joan and Bernie’s exceptional generosity, I am eternally grateful.
Of the more than two hundred people I interviewed, about forty asked to remain anonymous. I am indebted to everyone for taking the time out of their busy lives to assist me. Many thanks to those who spoke on the record:
Lord Airlie, Canon John Andrew, Charles Anson, Lady Elizabeth Anson, Lady Avon, Pamela Bailey, Ian Balding, Bruce Bent, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Peter Brown, Ruth Buchanan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Lady Frances Campbell-Preston, Lord Carey, Lady Carnarvon, Lady Charteris, Lady Mary Clayton, Mark Collins, Mina Jones Cox, the late Lady Cromer, Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Lady Dartmouth, Jackie Davis, Carolyn Deaver, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, the 12th Duke of Devonshire, Lord and Lady Dudley, the Honourable Dominic Elliot, Isabel Ernst, Oliver Everett and Diana Jervis-Reed, Lady Falkender, Michael Fawcett, Catherine Fenton, Nini Ferguson, Stephen Frears, the late Lucian Freud, Lady Anne Glenconner, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, Didy Grahame, Lord Guthrie, Nicholas Haslam, Reinaldo Herrera, Lady Pamela Hicks, Min Hogg, Wesley Kerr, James Ketchum, Timothy Knatchbull, Simon Lewis, Lady Elizabeth Longman, Josephine Louis, Johnny Martin-Smith, Anita McBride, Sir Paul McCartney, David Metcalfe, Pete and Ande Metzger, Dame Helen Mirren, Paul Moorhouse, Howard Morgan, Peter Morgan, Lady Mountbatten, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Catherine Murdock, Sandy Nairne, John Julius Norwich (2nd Viscount), Robin Nunn, Columbus O’Donnell, Lady Angela Oswald, Sir Michael Oswald (including his tour of the Sandringham Stud), Debbie Palmer, the Honourable Shaun Plunket, Jonathan Powell, Lord and Lady Powell, Lady Rayne, Nancy Reagan, Lord Renwick, the Honourable Margaret Rhodes, John Richardson, Andrew Roberts, Monty Roberts, Tim Rooke, Selwa “Lucky” Roosevelt, Kenneth Rose, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Malcolm Ross, Lady Salisbury, Lord Salisbury, Richard Salmon, Jean Seaton, Kamalesh and Babli Sharma, Lady Soames, Sir Roy S
trong, Kevin Sullivan, Marjorie Susman, Monica Tandy, David Thomas, Robert Tuttle, Benedicte Valentiner, Freddy Van Zevenbergen, Simon Walker, George “Frolic” Weymouth, Lady Wilson, Ashe Windham, Robert Worcester, Anne Wyndham, David Wynne-Morgan, and Amy Zantzinger.
On the Queen’s visit to Bermuda: Sir Richard Gozney (the governor), Kenneth Bascombe, Graham Foster, Ed Harris, Fiona and Marty Hatfield, and Dr. David Saul.
On the Queen’s visit to Trinidad and Tobago: Eric Jenkinson (the British high comissioner), Matthew Albert, Ulric Cross, James Dolan, Thora Dunbell, Rosalind Gabriel, Brian Lara, David Miliband, Lyle Pauls, Commander Andrew Stacey, Air Vice Marshal David Walker (master of the household), and Dwight Yorke.
On the Queen’s visit to Hull: Susan Cunliffe-Lister (the lord lieutenant of East Yorkshire), Elaine Garland (lord mayor), Bryan Bradley, Phil Brown, Alan Cook, Doris Gagen, and Maria Raper.
At Balmoral: Martin Leslie (retired factor).
At Sandringham: Tony Parnell (retired foreman).
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch Page 59